§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has as to the amount of public money that has been contributed to the Airbus project to date; and how much of this has come from the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. ButcherThe Airbus programme has received financial assistance from the Governments of France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. Much of this assistance was given before British Aerospace became a partner in Airbus in 1979 and Her Majesty's Government does not have details of the sums involved. As regards the financial contribution of the United Kingdom, British Aerospace received a £50 million grant in 1979 towards the cost of its participation in Airbus.
§ Mr. Raffanasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce publicly the Government's decision on the provision of launch aid for the Airbus A320 project.
§ Mr. ButcherI hope that the Government will be in a position to announce their decision early in the new year.